PARIS -- A cash crunch at French technology company Groupe Bull SA appears to have altered its smart-card strategy, with Bull speeding up the sale of that unit, said a person familiar with the situation.

Bull wants to sell all of its wholly owned smart-card division, which is known as CP8, instead of potentially keeping a minority stake, according to this person familiar with the matter. Bull wants to complete the sale in roughly the next two weeks instead of around the end of February. It scuppered plans for an...